In short: if you were injured in a road accident in Türkiye you can claim compensation under Turkish law whatever your nationality and wherever you live now. Turkish law governs the claim because the accident happened here (Law No. 5718 on Private International Law and Procedure, art. 34: obligations arising from a tort are subject to the law of the country where the tort was committed). The vehicle’s keeper (işleten) is liable on a risk basis, you can pursue the at-fault vehicle’s compulsory insurer directly, and the Guarantee Account (Güvence Hesabı) stands behind uninsured, unidentified and stolen vehicles. Two rules decide whether the claim survives: you must put a written claim to the insurer before going to court (Highway Traffic Act, Law No. 2918, art. 97), and the general limitation period is two years from the day you learn of both the loss and the party liable, and ten years from the accident (art. 109) — longer where the accident is also a criminal offence.
A road accident in a country you don't know — in a language you don't speak — is frightening. The good news is that Türkiye's system is built to compensate the people its traffic harms, and that includes you. Here is how it works, in plain English.
Situations we handle
Most foreign road-accident claims we see in Türkiye involve one of these:
- A pedestrian struck by a car, often at a crossing or on a coastal road.
- A passenger in a taxi, minibus (dolmuş), coach or private car.
- A driver or passenger in a rental car, including single-vehicle and multi-car crashes.
- A motorcycle, scooter or bicycle rider.
- A family that lost a relative in a crash and can claim for loss of financial support.
If your situation isn't on the list, ask anyway — the principles below usually still apply. You can also read about personal injury claims for non-road accidents.
Who is liable — and who actually pays
Under the Turkish Highway Traffic Act (Karayolları Trafik Kanunu, Law No. 2918), the vehicle's operator or keeper (işleten) carries a strict, risk-based form of liability for the harm the vehicle causes. In practice that means you usually do not have to prove ordinary fault in the way you might expect — though how the accident happened still matters.
The more important question for most people is who pays, and the answer is usually an insurer:
- Compulsory traffic insurance (Zorunlu Mali Sorumluluk Sigortası, ZMSS). Every Turkish vehicle must carry it. It covers third-party bodily injury, and an injured foreigner can claim against the at-fault vehicle's policy.
- A direct claim against the insurer. You can pursue the at-fault vehicle's insurer directly, up to the sum insured (Turkish Commercial Code, Law No. 6102, art. 1478). Often the practical defendant is the insurer, not the individual driver.
- No valid insurer? The Guarantee Account (Güvence Hesabı). Where the vehicle was uninsured, never identified (a hit-and-run), stolen, or the insurer has failed, you may still claim from this statutory fund.
- Hit by a foreign-plate vehicle? Under the Green Card (Yeşil Kart) system the Turkish Motor Insurers' Bureau (TMTB) can deal with and pay the claim here in Türkiye — check the foreign-plate route.
What you can claim
Turkish law aims to put you back, as far as money can, in the position you would have been in without the accident. Depending on your injuries, that can include:
Medical & treatment costs
Hospital and treatment bills, rehabilitation, medication, prosthetics, and the cost of future care your injuries will need.
Lost income & loss of earning capacity
Earnings you lost while recovering, and — where an injury leaves lasting effects — compensation for reduced or lost ability to work in the future (permanent disability).
Pain and suffering
Non-pecuniary compensation (manevi tazminat) for the physical pain and emotional toll of the accident.
Loss of support (fatal accidents)
If a relative was killed, those who depended on them financially can claim for that lost support, together with funeral expenses. Article 53 of the Code of Obligations (Law No. 6098) sets out the losses a death gives rise to, in particular: the funeral expenses; where death was not immediate, the treatment costs and the losses from reduced or lost working capacity; and the losses of the people deprived of the deceased's support. Article 56/2 allows the court, in a case of serious bodily harm or death, to award an appropriate sum as non-pecuniary compensation to the relatives as well.
The family's file runs differently from an injured person's — the dependants claim in their own names, the income base is usually earned abroad, and a July 2026 amendment to Article 55 changed how interest and an insurer's early payment are treated. We set the whole route out step by step in our guide to loss of support compensation for the family of a person killed in an accident.
How compensation is calculated
There is no fixed price list. The value of a claim is built from evidence:
- Documented past costs and losses.
- Future losses, worked out actuarially — using recognised life tables, an assessed disability rate, and your income (or a statutory minimum-wage baseline where income can't be proven).
- Pain and suffering, which a court assesses on its own equitable judgement.
- Statutory interest, and a reduction for any contributory fault.
How long you have to claim
Road-accident claims are subject to a limitation period. As a general rule under the Highway Traffic Act, that period runs for two years from when you learn of both the harm and who is responsible, with a longer long-stop measured from the accident itself. Importantly, where the accident is also a criminal offence — as injury and fatal accidents often are — a longer criminal limitation period can apply, which often gives you considerably more time than people assume.
Claiming from abroad
You almost never need to return to Türkiye. We run the claim for you under a power of attorney:
- You sign a power of attorney (vekâletname) at a notary in your own country. It is then apostilled (under the Hague Apostille Convention) or legalised by a Turkish consulate, with a sworn Turkish translation.
- From there, we deal with the insurer, the hospital, the experts and — if needed — the court, on your behalf.
Helpful documents to keep: the accident report (kaza tespit tutanağı), hospital records and discharge summary (epikriz), receipts, photographs, witness details, and anything showing your income. Don't worry if you're missing some — we help gather and translate what your claim needs.
How we handle your claim
- Initial review. You tell us what happened. We review it and give you an honest view of the claim.
- You appoint us. One power of attorney, signed remotely — no flight, no Turkish required.
- We pursue it. We assemble the evidence, value the loss, and press the insurer — through the Insurance Arbitration Commission (Sigorta Tahkim Komisyonu) or the courts where needed.
- Recovery. Any sums recovered are accounted to you, with each step explained in plain English.
Use our interactive tool to determine whether your accident is covered by Turkish Compulsory Motor Insurance (ZMSS), the Green Card Bureau, or the Assurance Account (Güvence Hesabı).
Open Foreign Plate & Accident Route Check →Scope. This page is general information about Turkish law and procedure. It is not legal advice, it is not an assessment of your situation, and reading it does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Statutory figures, thresholds and rates are revised periodically — check the current position before relying on any of them. Any particular case turns on its own documents and facts.
Frequently asked questions
I was a tourist in a rental-car accident — can I still claim?
Usually, yes. Being a visitor and driving a rental car doesn't remove your right to compensation for injuries caused by another road user. We assess the circumstances and pursue the at-fault vehicle's insurer.
The other driver had no insurance — can I get anything?
Often, yes — through the Guarantee Account (Güvence Hesabı), which exists for exactly these cases: uninsured, unidentified (hit-and-run), or stolen vehicles. Conditions apply, and we'll tell you if yours fits.
I've already flown home. Can the whole thing be done remotely?
Yes. You appoint us by a power of attorney signed in your country, and we handle everything in Türkiye for you, reporting back in English.
How much is my claim worth?
It depends on your injuries, your losses and the evidence. We don't quote a figure before reviewing your medical and income records — but we will give you a clear, honest assessment once we have.
What if the accident was partly my fault?
You can usually still claim. Your share of responsibility reduces the award rather than cancelling it. It's worth getting an assessment before assuming you have no case.
What are my legal rights as a foreigner after a traffic accident in Türkiye?
The same rights a domestic claimant has. An accident on Turkish soil is governed by Turkish law (Law No. 5718, art. 34), and the Highway Traffic Act is written around the injured party (zarar gören) — not their nationality or where they live. That gives you three routes: a claim against the vehicle’s keeper, a direct claim against that vehicle’s compulsory insurer, and the Guarantee Account where there is no valid insurer. Law No. 5718 art. 34/4 expressly allows the injured party to bring the claim directly against the insurer of the person responsible where the applicable law permits it.
Do I have to apply to the insurer before I can take it to court?
Yes — and this is the step foreign claimants most often miss. Under the Highway Traffic Act (Law No. 2918, art. 97) the injured party must make a written application to the insurance company before going to court within the limits of the compulsory motor policy. If the insurer does not answer in writing within 15 days of that application, or the answer does not meet the claim, you may then sue or apply to insurance arbitration under Law No. 5684.
How quickly does a Turkish insurer have to pay once the file is complete?
Law No. 2918 art. 99 gives the insurer eight business days to pay the sums falling within the compulsory motor policy limits, counted from the day the claimant delivers the documents specified in the compulsory motor insurance general conditions to the insurer’s head office or one of its units. In practice the argument is usually about whether the file is complete and how the loss is calculated — which is why the medical and income evidence matters so much.
How long do I have to claim after a traffic accident in Türkiye?
Law No. 2918 art. 109 sets two years from the date you learn of both the loss and the party liable, and in any event ten years from the day of the accident. Where the accident arises from conduct that is a criminal offence and the criminal law lays down a longer prescription period, that longer period applies to the compensation claim as well — which is why claims that look time-barred at first sight often are not. The same article adds that interrupting time against the person liable also interrupts it against the insurer.
Can I go to the Insurance Arbitration Commission instead of court?
Often, yes. The Insurance Arbitration Commission (Sigorta Tahkim Komisyonu) is constituted under the Insurance Act (Law No. 5684, art. 30) to resolve disputes between the insured or the beneficiary and the insurer, and for disputes arising from compulsory insurance you may use it even if the insurer is not a member of the system. You must first have applied to the insurer and be able to document that the claim was refused wholly or partly — or that the insurer gave no written answer within fifteen business days. You cannot apply once the same dispute is before a court, and the appointed arbitrator must decide within four months. More on the arbitration route.
Related: personal injury compensation · insurance claim disputes · all questions.
📚 Deep Dive: Read our legal guide on claiming medical and disability compensation for tourist car rental and taxi crashes in Türkiye.